XN000022-1994-10-26 — Page 83

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1994

67

INCREASING SUPPLY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANPOWER

FOLLOWING IS A QUESTION BY DR THE HON HUANG CHEN-YA AND A WRITTEN REPLY BY THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, MR MICHAEL LEUNG, IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY):

QUESTION: IN VIEW OF THE SHORTAGE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANPOWER IN THE TERRITORY, WILL THE GOVERNMENT INFORM THIS COUNCIL OF THE FOLLOWING :

(A)

(B)

WHAT IS THE NUMBER OF TRAINED SOFTWARE ENGINEERS IN THE TERRITORY AND HOW DOES THIS COMPARE WITH THAT IN NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES IN THE REGION AND OECD COUNTRIES; AND

WHETHER THERE ARE ANY PLANS TO ENSURE THAT MORE MANPOWER WILL BE TRAINED; IF SO, WHAT ARE THE DETAILS OF SUCH PLANS?

REPLY:

MR PRESIDENT,

(A)

(B)

TN

WE DO NOT HAVE STATISTICS ON THE NUMBER OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERS IN HONG KONG AND IN OTHER COUNTRIES. HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO A MANPOWER SURVEY CONDUCTED DECEMBER 1993 BY THE COMMITTEE ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TRAINING OF THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL (THE VTC SURVEY), THERE WERE ABOUT 34,940 PERSONS ENGAGED IN THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) SECTOR, INCLUDING ABOUT 8,880 IN APPLICATION PROGRAMMING, 7,870 IN TECHNICAL SUPPORT, 5,060 IN IT MANAGEMENT AND 4,400 IN HARDWARE SUPPORT.

ANNUAL

ACCORDING TO THE VTC SURVEY, INDICATED AVERAGE DEMAND FOR IT MANPOWER IN THE SHORT-TERM AT SUB-DEGREE AND DEGREE LEVEL IS ABOUT 3,900 PER YEAR. THE CURRENT SUPPLY OF SUCH MANPOWER FROM LOCAL POST-SECONDARY AND TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS TRAINED SPECIFICALLY IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AND RELATED DISCIPLINES IS ABOUT

PER 2,450

HAND

ΤΟ

YEAR. TO MATCH THE DEMAND, PLANS ARE ALREADY IN ΤΟ INCREASE THE LOCAL IT MANPOWER OUTPUT STEADILY ABOUT 3,500 IN 1998. OTHER SOURCES OF SUPPLY INCLUDE THOSE LOCAL GRADUATES TRAINED IN RELATED DISCIPLINES, PLUS SUCH AS ENGINEERING, WHO ENTER THE IT PROFESSION, THOSE GRADUATES TRAINED OVERSEAS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE OR RELATED DISCIPLINES RETURNING TO HONG KONG,

0

/68